Mixed feelings in Singapore over surcharge for Touch n Go

JOHOR BARU: Singaporean motorists have mixed feelings on the proposed move to impose a surcharge of S$10 (RM30) for Touch n Go cards with insufficient balance when entering Johor from Singapore.

The plan, currently in the pipeline and mooted by the Johor Government, is meant to ease traffic congestion at the Johor Causeway here and the Second Link Crossing in Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah.

There are also plans to remove reload booths checkpoint entrances as motorists who stopped to reload their cards would slow traffic down.

Sales assistant Felicia Ngoi, 29, who travels to Johor Baru on the weekends, welcomed the plan if it could help improve traffic flow at the checkpoints

“Every time I come to Johor Baru, I’ll see many drivers stopping by to top up their cards and it causes congestion,” she said.

Ngoi said it usually takes her about 90 minutes during peak hours to reach Taman Sentosa, even though it is about 5km from the Johor Causeway.

Another road user, Melissa, 33, said that while removing the booths could be a good idea, first-time Singaporean drivers could run into problems as they may not know where to buy the cards.

“The Johor authorities could distribute flyers on the plan to motorists coming from Singapore to avoid inconveniencing them,” she said.

Pharmacist Lee Foo Yun, 35, said it was the responsibility of motorists to check if they have enough credit in their Touch n Go cards before entering Johor Baru

It was reported in The Star that the Johor government considered several methods to further ease traffic congestion at the Causeway and Second Link.

Johor Public Works, Regional and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohamed said these included increasing the number of toll booths at the Second Link and building a covered walkway for pedestrians.

Better traffic management methods at both checkpoints could include separating bigger and larger trailers from smaller lorries for faster clearance and increasing the number of security personnel during peak hours.